The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-11-05
And Within an Hour Destroys the Building
and Its Contents, Together with Half a
Million Feet Of Valuable Lumber
The Firemen Are Unable to Get Suffi-
Gent Water To Do Effective Work,
Ind Two of Them Jump from Third-Story
Window to Escape Burning to Death
The Loss Estimated at About $50, 900.

when Tucker & Dorsey's money drawer factory
II the corner of State avenue and the c., l., st.
L. & C. railroad. was burned to the ground.
Along with the factory was destroyed half
million feet of seasoned lumber. The flames
covered nearly five acres Of ground, and every
thing on it was laid in ashes.
The fire discovered by Yardmaster Hicks, of
the Big Four railroad and WIS just beginning to
creep out from the walls of the saw-mill adjon-
ing the engne-room of the factory the east
Before the department arrived the blaze had be-
gun to make such Roadway that second alarm
turned in, and nearly all the department.
was soon on the scene. When the firemen ar
rived they found they were power
less. there not cistern or any
available water within three quarters OF mile
spread beyond the saw-mill, and Chief Webster.
with hopes of saving part of the main build
ing. put the chemical engine work on Il, aud
directed line of hose laid from Washington
street, three-quarters of mile away. The
men In charge of the chemical climbed
into the third story of the main
building and began fighting the flames
the best they could from the south windows.
The other fremen hurried away to lay the line
of hose from Washington street. and left the
chemical men alone in the third story of the
building. They fought the blaze manfully and
had begun to think they going to prevent
1t from taxing hold of the building, when sud
denly it burst through the floor at their feet.
While they had been fighting it above
1t had worked its way through the first
and second stories beneath them. and was rap
idly eating ont the foundation which they
stood. Almost horror-stricken they started for
the only stairway, and found the smoke coming
up il so densely to make descent impossible.
They must do of two things One was to
run the risk of passing through the smoke aud
flames of the stairway, and the other was to
jump to the ground three stories be-
low. The brave men did not tarry consult
what should be done. Three os them rushed
for the stairway, and dashed headlong into what
looked to be certain death. Providentially, as
ir seemed the blaze that shooting up the
stairway in spurts, ceased momentarily, and the
men reached the lower floor with few slight
bruises. The two who chose to jump
rather than to risk their lives in the flames,
were Jacob Reuben and William Talentire,
both of No 13
The people had begun to gather in great num-
bers when the men appeared at the window.
Jump quick. she's falling called out some
man in the crowd.
STAND back" called out the fireman, and.
throwing his chemical out before him, he
jumped This Reuben. In falling he
turned several somersaults. and the people held
their breath, expecting to see him dashed to
death on the ground Just before he reached
the ground he regained the perpendicular posi- i
ton. and landed square upon his feet.
When he struck the ground he
dropped apparently lifeless Before anyone
could rush forward to help him, Tallentire es-
capped from the window, and came down
revolving like hoop Like his fellow frem an. he
dropped squarely upon his feet, and fell over
exhausted
The other firemen, who had come safely down
the stairway, carried the two men to the supply
wagon and took them home. Reuben's injury
was broken leg and perhaps internal injuries.
From hasty examination it was found that
Tallentire had homes broken but was per-
haps badly injured internally.
In the meantime the fire had spread among |
the dry tmbers of the factory as though it were |
kindling. and now from the entire building |
huge blaze shot up into the still. clear night |
hundred feet or more. The work of laying the |
hose from Washington street was quickly done, |
but when the last wagon unrolled its last foot |
of the rubber the end was still out of reach of |
the fire. This left the department utterly help
less AS last resort. a hundred feet of chem |
ical hose was hooked on to the main hose and a |
small stream of water finally turned upon |
the field of fire. 1t ineffective as a spoon
full OF water would have been, and all hope of /
saving any part of the building abandoned. |
South of the factory was situated the lnmber
yard. in which there half million feet of
the finest seasoned lumber. There was space |
of hundred feet between the first stacks and
the burning building. The fremsn. and all
other people who could in any way lend help
ing hand, were called upon to the lumber,
if possible. A small stream of water
turned upon the huge piles and fremen with
chemicals their backs, mounted every |
stack facing the approaching flames
The timber soaked with water. and for
time every spark that lit upon it was made
mark for the extingu.shers. Gradually the
mountain of blaze rolled nearer and nearer, and
finally the men had to abandon their positions
the lumber piles. minute afterward the
lumber in flames. A long line of
freight cars that had, the evening before, n
loaded several hundred thousand feet of lumber
In the yard stood between the piles. The Big
Four train men. seeing the danger they were in.
hurried engine down to the yards. and they
were pulled OUT of the burning unframed.
Up TO this time the fire had been raging an
hour. The fsaw-min was in ashes, the huge
brick and frame factory, four stories high. was
beginning to tumble In. and the last of the
property of the company. the lumber, fast
being renduced to ashes. The little brick
Office, that stood at the extreme north end of
the grounds, all that left unframed
and later on it had to succumb to the flames.
Ar effort was made to save some of the lum-
Der by carrying il safe distance from the fire.
but before half of a pie had been removed the
flames grew so hot that the work had to be
abandoned. There were no buildings in the
i'm mediate neigh borhood. Half dozen resi-
Q6nceS a quarter OF q 1Dlc AWAY several tunes |
caught the roof from flying brands. but they
were so carefully guarded by the fremen that
no damage was done 1t was after o'clock be-
fore the last of the lumber was destroyed. The
tmbers in the main building still blazed some at
that hour, but besides those there was not a
foot of timber on the entire four acres of
ground that had not gone into ashes IN the two
hours
The factory employed from one to two hun
dred men continually. While it was known as
money drawer factory, hundred different arti-
res made of wood and light castings were
All sorts of patent devices were
put up there, and within the last few years the
company had built immense
trade the country The immense
building packed with Manufactured
goods The winter is the best season
for selling. and Mr.. Tucker said last night that
several months work stored in the factory.
IL necessarily required the finest and most ex-
pensive machinery to do the kind of work turned
III loza Il ati il haar q |